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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cold — not warm
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fine — all right
  8. face — to confront
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ball — a dance
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. face — part of the head
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — to get on
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com